Chat Tails
by CharmedKnights
Summary: Formerly Night Vision. A collection of shorts about Chat Noir.
1. See to Catch

Chat had night vision. He explained this to Ladybug when they had fought Stormy Weather. He could see as perfectly in the dark as if it were a bright and sunny day. His lovely lady was not blessed with such attributes. So when he was meeting up with her and saw that her yo-yo had missed, she took a tumble off the side of a roof. As always, Chat was there to catch her when she fell. He smiled at her, for a moment, completely mesmerized by their closeness. He could feel her pulse beneath his hands. Despite the chill of the night she was warm, as if she had been recently bundled up before going out to meet him.

"You know, we really should stop meeting like this, my Lady," he said.

Ladybug's surprised expression turned into a smirk. However, there was a lingering embarrassment about his spotted partner. He could see a light blush beneath her mask and felt a surge of pride, as he was the one who put it there. It made him feel there was hope to win over his lovely lady yet. Especially when she had such positive reactions like that. He almost - key word being _almost_ \- wished another akuma would show up because he felt like he could take on the world single handed.

"Maybe. But you shouldn't do any dramatics," she told him, "I'm the only one allowed to pull those."

"Where's the fun in that?" her male companion quipped.


	2. To Have to Hold

Another thing that Chat adored about the dark was that it required Ladybug to hold his hand. She was unable to see on her own. He was her eyes. She trusted him to guide her through the darkness and back to the light. Nowadays, when it got too dark for her to see, she did not hesitate to put her hand in his. It was almost instinctual at this point. He would be lying if he did not say that his heart all but fluttered and he had to stave off a blush each time. It was a very good excuse to hold her hand. He was not sure if she caught on to his intentions by insisting to guide her through the dark or not. If she had, she did not question it.

Ladybug's hand was always warm. He often contemplated taking off his gloves so he could feel her hand in his a little better, but then she would most certainly question his actions. His restraint to do so was astounding, even to him. He liked her hands. They were slim and dainty. They were certainly feminine in all means of the word. He wondered if, that beneath the gloves, she had a manicure. If she just had them trimmed, were they painted? Would she be so anxious that she bit the nails to the bed?

Fist bump, knuckle kisses and hand holding. Those were his tiny bursts of glee. Unless he were to catch Ladybug when she fell, those were also the only contact that Ladybug would allow. She could always have been PDA shy, too taken back by Chat's forwardness to reciprocate his feelings for her. Too afraid of what the public would think of the heroine who fell for her partner. He hated the double standards on love.

No one would fault him for loving Ladybug. There was not a man in Paris who did not at least admire the superhero sweetheart. She had saved Paris time and time again. However, she would be taken as some love struck fool if she fell for him. People would say she put her heart over her duties. It was the furthest cry from the truth that Chat could imagine. She was strong, brave, and as passionate as she was kind, all traits that everyone looked in a potential partner. Chat was just lucky she had chosen him to be her partner; despite the lack of other super heroes around he was going to bathe in as much attention as she would give him.

"Chat, I need my hand back," Ladybug said.

"But my lady, my hand would be very cold without yours."

"You'll live, silly kitty."

When she removed her hand from his grip, his did feel much colder. He wondered if she felt the same.


	3. To Protect

His night vision was a blessing when an Akuma attacked at night. His advantage was all the better to protect his wonderful lady. There were things to be afraid of in the dark. Akuma, accidents and other people all lurked in the darkness, waiting to pounce. A certain level of anxiousness rose in Chat's chest every night she refused to let him walk her home. He trusted her so much and it hurt to have her deny him time and time again. He just wanted to know she was home safe, that no harm had befallen her. So his Ladybug came up with a compromise. She would call him on her compact, the moment she got home.

It took an edge off of his nerves.

Until night fights became more common. While the city streets of Paris were lit up, they did not provide enough light for Chat's comfort. He was constantly looking over his shoulder, checking in on his partner, hoping that nothing had befallen her. He was ever so protective of his Lady. More than once he took a hit that could have been prevented, had she just seen it a little faster. The bruises were horrendous but completely worth every inch of pain when Laydbug would begrudgingly kiss his cheek as thanks, quickly telling him not to look too much into the kiss but still appreciative nevertheless.

"What am I going to do with you?" Ladybug sighed in exasperation.

He grinned up at her, all charm. He had yet to get back to his feet, partly out of fear of how much moving would hurt, but also because he did not want to worry Ladybug. His partner quickly returned to his side when she saw he had not joined her for their usual fist bump. He hoped he didn't look as bad as he felt. That last Akuma – one obsessed with plant-life who had brought a greenhouse to life – had been a real drag. That being said, roses were no longer his favorite flower and if he ever saw one again he would probably burn it on site. Thorns were the worst!

"Don't worry about your Chat," he assured her, "But I wouldn't exactly turn you down if you kiss it better."

Ladybug rolled her eyes. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. Not quite where his injury was, no his sore ribs would protest aggressive movement later, but enough for a dopey smile to cross his lips as he peered up at her. After all, he had gotten a kiss for his efforts! He could fly if she asked him to. She took his hand in hers, closing it into a fist and then she bumped her hand against his.

"Well done," she said.


	4. To Watch

If he wanted to, he could follow her home. That would prove who the real Ladybug was. Alya had said on her Ladyblog that she was a student in their class. Then again she had also said Chloe was Ladybug and that ended up going south fast. Not knowing was killing him. Just a few hops a few houses behind her and his curiosity would be sated once and for all. Worst of all, Ladybug would have no idea he was behind her. She wouldn't even see him coming. That knowledge filled him with a sense of dread. If he had thought that, then what were the chances of another doing the same? Like Copy Chat? If his double had gotten to Ladybug first, Chat shuddered to think of what could have befallen his partner.

On top of his dread, he felt guilt. How could he think of doing something like that to Ladybug? She had asked for anonymity. He had thought about violating that trust by following her home? He felt awful for thinking about it, for letting it even cross his mind. There had been more than one occasion where he could have figured out who his partner was. Each time had toed the line quite dangerously.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Chat," Ladybug said.

"Goodnight, my Lady. I shall dream of you!" he said.

He stayed where he was, watching her as she zipped off and into the night. He was almost afraid that if he did move, he would move to follow after her. Only once she had disappeared completely from his line of sight did he finally turn and head home. His quiet, empty house, where no one even knew he went out on patrols. He imagined Ladybug had to quietly sneak back into her home, whereas Chat could probably just use the front door and no one would be the wiser. He always felt a sense of longing after Ladybug left.


	5. Blinded by Love

When the fighting a light based akuma at night, Chat had to admit, night vision was not so great. Light came in bursts. Once his eyes had settled to the darkness, a burst of light would blind and disorient him. Never before had his eyes ached with such a dull throb. The next day he had to wear sunglasses. Nino insisted he had been drinking and what else was he to say. He then made up some story about a terrible migraine and how it was light sensitive. Everyone seemed to buy it, including the teacher who drew the blinds shut so not to bother him more than necessary.

It wasn't necessarily his fault when he walked out of the school building at the end of the day. In an instant there was screaming and frantic running. He didn't see it coming because of his poor overstimulated eyes. A car was tossed his direction. When he finally did turn to see it, his eyes widened. He braced himself for an obviously painful impact but it never came. Someone had firm arms wrapped around them and they were gliding through the air. He looked up to see a familiar face, not looking down at him but looking ahead.

Ladybug set him down atop of the school building. She drew her yo-you back, placing it at her side before her hands touched his shoulders. Her hands lingered and she checked him over for injuries. Adrien just stared at her in wonder. Ladybug. His lovely Lady… Was she just trying to save some random civilian? Did she know it was him? Could she hear his heart beating? Was his breath okay? His first meeting with Ladybug as Adrien and all he could do was gape like a fish out of water and stare.

"Be more careful," she scolded.

Dimly he found himself nodding, barely able to utter a word in the presence of the wonderful woman he more than often spent protecting himself. She had just saved him – him as in Adrien – not him as in Chat – without a second thought. She flashed him a dazzling smile, one that made him feel as if he were blinded. He wasn't sure if it was worse that he had been blinded the night before or by her wonderful sweet smile.

"I'll see you later, Handsome Boy!" she said.

Adrien raced to the edge when she swung off the side. He watched as she swung into battle with a new akuma. His heart was racing in his chest. Handsome. She had just called him handsome! It took Plagg tugging insistently at his shirt for Adrien to realize that Ladybug still needed Chat Noir and he transformed. It didn't take him much longer after that to join in the brawl and help assist the marvelous woman who just saved his life.

Either way he was on cloud nine for the rest of the day.


	6. Escorting Princesses

Chat's night vision not only assisted Ladybug but wayward princesses as well. It had been late, he was heading home from patrol with Ladybug but since he had gotten there much later than his partner, he had a longer transformation time. She had to leave early. He wanted until she was gone before he began to bound through the streets of Paris under the city lights. Yes, cats adored attention, but really, he was just as fine on his own as well. Being Chat Noir was his freedom. He learned to savor these bursts of said freedom with vigor. Who knew what his 'schedule' would look like tomorrow, especially when his father had a say in every little thing he did.

He landed on a lamp post, breathing in deeply and sighing with relief. That's when he spotted a small figure, trying to make herself as small as possible as she walked down the street. She was alone on the street, thank goodness for that. His heart gave a little twinge. That was Marinette – a girl from his class. What on earth was she doing out so late at night? Alone?! Quickly the leather clad super hero began to follow her, hopping from roof top to roof top, watching as she went. He scanned the streets ahead of her, making sure she was truly alone and no harm would befall the poor girl.

He stuck to the shadows. Yes, they had met before, but he didn't need to scare her by announcing his presence. What was more terrifying than a man in black appearing behind you as you tried to make your way home? So he watched from afar, only relaxing when her family's bakery came into his line of site. Curious enough, she didn't go through the front door. She went around back, finding a large trash can to climb up on top of. Then she began to scale the side of the building, up until she got to the roof and disappeared through a hatch.

Color Chat surprised. It took him a moment to realize his jaw had dropped in his own shock and he had to recollect his thoughts. He didn't know his classmate was so agile, so limber, or so athletic. She made climbing like that look like an art form. What other little secrets was she hiding? Granted, she could barely string a sentence together in front of him when he was Adrien. A grin spread across his face as he watched her disappear. The light in her room stayed off, despite her return.

"Why would you need to sneak back in, princess?" he asked.

Unfortunately, she had spurred Chat's curiosity. He began to follow her home a little more often when he caught her out late at night. She was also suffering from 'Adrien overdoses' because now he was purposefully seeking her out to find out what made her tick.


	7. Blush

Chat loved making Ladybug blush. Mask or no, dark or light, he felt like he could fight a million akuma every time he made her get speechless. He especially liked making her blush at night. She thought that the cover of darkness would hide her reddened cheeks and pinked ears from his sight. Instead, he relished the challenge of making her stutter and stammer. Seeing his precious Lady react to him in such a paw-sitive manner always sent a thrill through him. Naturally, this only encouraged him to try even harder the next time.

"My lady, your beauty cat-ivates me," he crooned.

"Chat," she all but groaned. "Be serious, Kitty!"

He leaned with her as she went to duck her head so he couldn't see her blush. It was almost as if it were an automatic reflex, though he's not sure on who's part. She moved to hide away from him and he moved so he could see her better. He found himself smirking. She really didn't know what a gem she was, what he would do to have her look at him like he was her world. It was agonizing. There was a soft chime from his bell as he turned his head to the side, to meet her eyes.

"I always am."

She looked up at him, an unreadable look in her eyes. He waited for her to squirm, to tell him to knock it off. Both were common reactions from her, not to mention pushing him back, so she could have her space. She was good at denying any mutual feelings for him as well. He all but froze in his spot when she reached out, gently caressing his face. Her hand was warm against his skin, but her touch made him feel like he was on fire.

"Chat," she said.

"M-My L-Lady?" he squeaked.

She gently tapped his cheek with a laugh. A slow blink from him made her laugh even harder than before. He couldn't think. She was just too close and she had touched his face. He wondered if he wasn't dreaming. He would have thought he was if it hadn't been for her light playful tap to the side of his face. But then, all too soon, their closeness ended. She pushed back and pulled out her yo-yo. Should he be afraid? Should he try to duck? Was she going to hit him?

"Race you to the Eiffel Tower." She told him.

She zipped off not even a second after that, swinging across the city streets with her yo-yo. He was left alone, a hand over his racing heart.


	8. Sneaking Around

Chat doesn't always use his night vision for good. Much like cats who are bored throughout the day, Chat tends to sneak up on Ladybug more often than not, pouncing and delighting in her surprise. It normally earns him a smack or the occasional punch to the shoulder for being a 'jerk' but it's too much fun to pass on. He crept low, hiding in the darkness. The moment she landed near enough to him he lunged at her, scooping her up, both hands on her waist, lifting her up and twirling her. Her hands found purchase on his shoulders. Her startled gasp was music to his ears. When he set her back down on the rooftop, she hit his shoulder. He's laughing despite the fact that it hurt and he was going to be sore much later.

"Me-ow," he complained. "Would you kiss it better, paw-lease?"

She rolled her eyes because he was smiling. He was fine if he was able to use his puns and smile like that. He could see the annoyance glittering in her eyes, a sigh that lingered on her lips all but longing to be released. Yes, she thought he was annoying, but he was the only one in this city able to keep up with her. He was happy for that. He was the only one who got to sneak up on her. Really if he was the worst thing to sneak up on her she counted herself lucky.

"Would you stop that?" Ladybug demanded. "There's no need for it!"

"I cannot help myself my Lady." Chat replied with ease.

She shoots him a look so dark he wondered if he shouldn't be six feet under already. _A look that could kill_. Now that would be an awful akuma to fight. At least no one has gone all Medusa on them. For now, he was content with Ladybug looking at him, paying attention to him, spending time with him and no one else. He offered her a smile. However, he refused to offer her a promise that he would not sneak up on her.

He will.

Eventually.

When it stops being fun.


	9. Expressions

Chat was glad that Ladybug could not see the way he did. If she did, she would finally notice the downward twist of his mouth. She would comment on the sneer that made itself known when she roused his jealousy by talking about the boy she crushed on, the boy who wouldn't notice her. She would think him petty if she knew how angry he got. She would point out the times he was 'not acting like himself' or perhaps she already knew but chose not to comment. He didn't think he was so mean spirited until the green beast of envy bit him.

Hard.

He was infinitely glad that she didn't see these micro-expressions flicker across his face in rapid session. She would have seen how unchivalrous her knight in shining leather really was. He was glad she couldn't see him for how awful he really was. He had now developed a fear of showing her who he really was because of it. A rich boy with father issues, who hated his life and became a super hero for freedom, who was obsessed with his partner and jealous of whomever had her eye.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Ladybug sighed. She looked up at him, a weary smile lining her lips. Chat felt his lips pucker in another frown. He hated when she smiled like that. It made her look ages older than she was and she looked so helpless it made him want to beat away whatever was wearing her down. But there were things he could not protect her from. Their real lives were one of those things. It was so infuriating because he wanted her to lean on him when she was weakened, world weary and in need of comforting.

Chat could watch the looks on Ladybug's face better in the dark. She was a very passionate person. Her heart was on her sleeve and she was expressive. All traits he loved about her. But what was even more exciting was watching the look on her face when they jumped across the roof tops with new tricks and new acrobatic twirls. When she did something successfully, the look of delight on her face made his heart sing in his chest. It's why he tried to make her smile as much as he did, even if he wasn't happy with the end result.

"I tried to talk to him again… I fell flat on my face."

"I'm sure you did no such thing."

He hated seeing her upset. He hated seeing her angry. He hated seeing her weary. It's why they went on patrol. Well, really it was to make sure nothing bad happened late at night, but really, it was a therapy session for the two teens. Ladybug occasionally vented, not giving much in way of personal details. Chat did his best to be the best listening ear he could be, providing advice or just agreeing with her where he needed to.

He hoped it helped her. He would do anything for Ladybug if she asked him to. He just wanted to keep that smile on her face. If late night patrols, odd sleeping schedules and missed homework assignments were what he needed to do then by all means, he was going to do it as long as he got to see her smile every night. She called him silly. She didn't believe him when he professed his love to her. She insisted she had someone else her heart was set on. He would wait. But mercy, it hurt to hear her talk about someone else who caught her heart.

"I'm not confident like you are," Ladybug said. "Not without the mask…"

If only she knew…


	10. Chat Chosen

Being Chat made it easy to sneak out of the house – his too empty home with four walls and rooms that echoed. The inky darkness of the night was nothing to his cat eyes and a clear path was all but lit up for him. More often than not, he found himself – well, Chat – sneaking over to visit one of his (Adrien's) classmates. At first, it was just to check on her after she had helped him deal with Evillustrator. But then it became a regular occurrence for the both of them. Marinette… At first she had been so surprised to see him, demanding that he leave and go bother Ladybug. Chat had taken it with stride, brushing off the cold remarks with a smile, but she saw through it. She quickly apologized for upsetting him and for trying to send him away.

Now, she left her balcony door open for him, despite the chill it let into her room and the many times he came in drenched. On the rainy and cold days she would have a blanket or towel waiting for him, scolding him for going out when the weather was bad. It made him smile to have someone worry about him like this. She would sit up, waiting for him no matter how late it was or how tired it made her the next day in classes. She would have a warm drink waiting for him, along with some sort of sweet confectionary from her parents' shop downstairs.

Sometimes, they would talk. About anything, everything, nothing, aside from his secret identity. He told her more about himself than he told his own partner. But Marinette was such a good secret keeper. She hadn't gone running to Alya, despite her best friend running the Ladyblog. No one knew that Chat Noir was tired of his day to day life and longed for a taste of freedom.

Sometimes, he helped her with her classwork, despite knowing he may or may not have finished his own at home. She hated Physics with a burning passion. It was actually quite amusing to see her get revved up about her distaste for the subject, so naturally the cat egged her on just to see her rant about how it was never going to be applied to the fashion industry and she would have preferred to take classes that would have been more suited for designing or something along those lines. He tended to tune her out after a while just so he could focus on her smile.

Sometimes, they would just sit in a companionable silence. Marinette would be working on something. He would either lounge on her bed or other piece of furniture or he would cuddle up next to her side. Personally he liked cuddling up to her, but it really depended on what she was working on. Sometimes he would have just gotten in the way if he was right next to her. When he was by her side, she would occasionally give his hair absentminded pets and she didn't say anything if he purred. No one else knew that fact either, not even his Lady. Ladybug would never let him live it down.

However, because the super hero of Paris was not supposed to be sneaking into a girl's room every night, they had to keep the lights down low as well as their voices. But the lights being low never bothered him. He could still see her just as clearly, every movement, every reaction she had. He all but committed them to memory. It saddened him since Marinette was so comfortable with Chat, but not Adrien. Once the sun was out, she was back to a stuttering mess of jumbled thoughts. It was endearing.

Once or twice they nearly got caught but Chat had all but flung himself into a hiding spot, or out the window, to avoid it. Marinette would laugh off whatever her parent accused her of, wish them a good night, wait a few minutes before rescuing Chat from whatever situation he had managed to get himself into in his haste. She thought it was hilarious the one time he accidentally got himself tangled in her knitting.

"Why do you keep letting me come over?" Chat asked.

"I'm Chat chosen."


	11. Stargaze

When the nights were clear and not a cloud in sight, after patrol, Chat and Ladybug would sit atop Notre Dame and star gaze. It was never long but Chat enjoyed those brief moments. He could almost pretend they were dates, if only she would let him hold her hand or wrap an arm around her shoulder. She was more likely to dangle him off the side of the building if he tried. Instead, they sat side by side as he told her about the stars they could see. He would then guide her head into the right position so she too could see the constellation. He would whisper the names of the constellation, tell her the stars that made it up and then launch into a story about how they got those names.

At first he thought he was boring her but after a few times of doing it, Ladybug started to talk back. He was delighted to know she actually listened and remembered what he told her. She would inquire and build off of what he was telling her, sometimes with her own facts, sometimes with more questions that he was happy to answer. Really he was ecstatic when she did anything regarding attention to him. He would have happily taken a bullet for her if she just asked.

"So what's that one again?"

"That is Leo," he said.

"Of course you know where the big cat in the sky is," Ladybug replied dryly. "But it's the oldest named constellation, right?"

"We're lucky, my Lady, the best time to see him is in April."


	12. Devil

"Ladybug, you're an angel," he whispered.

She had just finished patching him up after a recent fight. He had gotten roughed up a little more than he would have liked to have admitted. For the sake of his identity, he couldn't go to a hospital for treatment. At least it wasn't something on his face. His modeling career as Adrien would be over if that was damaged. Though, he didn't exactly like that part of his non-super hero identity. It was boring and stiff. However, it gave him an income that his father could not touch.

"And you, Chat Noir, are a devil," she scolded.

His grin was unrepentant and as wicked as the namesake of the devil. He gave his lovely partner a two fingered salute as he sat in the window sill, preparing to jump. He turned over his shoulder, giving the young woman another wicked smirk and a not-so-innocent wink. She shook her head. However, Chat's delight spread when he saw the pink tint to Ladybug's face under the mask even in the dark gloom of the night. Thoroughly pleased with himself, he was not too annoyed when his ring started to beep its alarm to let him know his time was almost up.

Chat had no doubt in his mind that she thought he was crazy. There were times where he questioned himself but he wasn't going to let that bother him. They were all a little crazy in the end. Besides, he and Ladybug dressed in spandex and fought people possessed by evil butterflies. Needless to say their entire lifestyle required a little suspension of reality. But the powers were always a perk. Especially when he got to see her blush despite her best efforts against it.

"Guilty," he said, nonchalantly.

With that, he jumped out the window and landed on the rooftop below, hurrying to find somewhere near his home that he could change back into Adrien.


	13. Marzipan

Chat closed his eyes. It was just the two of them after patrol, sitting atop Notre Dame. Sometimes they just sat in silence until the beep of their miraculous hinted their time was up, other times they talked. This was one of the times they did not talk. The duo sat in silence. When Chat's eyes were closed, he could hear things better – the city particularly. Cars rushed by, sometimes there was rain, honking of horns, soft chatter from pedestrians below, Ladybug's soft breathing beside him.

Chat noticed that his sense of smell would also heighten. Normally he would be overpowered by pungent odors, like that awful cheese that one of Kung Food's minions used against him, much to Plagg's horror – something about a waste of good gouda? But when it was just the two of them, he could smell Ladybug. It sounded terrible once he thought about it, so he never said anything about his improved senses.

But goodness, Ladybug smelled divine.

She used a perfume that much he was certain of. It wasn't over powering or overly floral. There were girls at his school that simply used too much of it and even when his senses weren't heightened, it bothered him. But Ladybug, she used something soft, like vanilla and caramel or peppermint and crème, depending on the season. Which was all the better since he loved sweets. There was also the underlying scent of something sweet, something he could not quite place. He would ask, but then again, it was more fun trying to figure it out for himself.

* * *

Chat had been turning around the corner when someone crashed into him. His eyes went wide as he was thrown back. The person who had bumped into him, fell forward. Instinctively he reached out, cradling them close as they hit the ground. He looked down to see strands of dark hair in his face. He had to bite back the question about asking if 'his Lady' was okay because this was not his Ladybug in his arms but someone else.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng stared back up at him.

Chat was all but overwhelmed by that sweet scent once again. That was it, both Marinette and Ladybug smelled of that sweet something. Chat carefully sat up, trying his best not to shift Marinette too much but he had to make sure she was okay. They did just have a head on collision. As far as he knew there were no akuma around but perhaps she had just escaped form one. Then again, he did not hear any screaming.

"Are you okay, purr-rincess?" Chat asked.

Marinette quickly scrambled to get up off of him. She quickly sat on the ground next to him. She did not check to make sure he was okay or more importantly that she was okay, much to Chat's annoyance, but instead a box in her hands. Marinette's shoulders slumped and she frowned deeply after peering inside. Chat was quick to return the expression. He hated seeing Marinette get upset. It was almost as bad as seeing Ladybug get upset.

"They're all ruined…" She murmured.

"I'm sorry. What are ruined?"

"My marzipan."

He peered into the box in Marinette's hands. The lid had gotten torn open in their accident and exposed the sweets to the world. The cookies were indeed smashed. None of them were whole, cracked in half, crumbled to bits, chipped and battered like they had gone to battle. Chat sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. He should have been paying better attention to where he was going. Instead, he ruined his classmate's cookies. At least no one had gotten hurt, he supposed.

"I could buy you some new ones?" Chat offered.

"You don't understand. They're not for me… They were for someone else."

Marinette sighed. She slowly got to her feet. She looked like she was going to cry. Chat quickly got up after that. He put both hands on her shoulders, instantly gaining her attention. He had to do something quick, otherwise the sweet little Marinette would be akumatized and he did not want to fight her. It was frustrating, fighting his classmates. Better to save the akumatization for strangers. That way he did not have to fight back guilt for physically attacking his classmates and friends.

"I'm sure he'll understand," Chat said. "You worked so hard on these."

"No… they have to be just right…" Marinette insisted.

She seemed to be debating something. With a sad, almost weary smile she offered the box to Chat. The hero could do little more than blink at her in surprise. What was she doing? These were a gift for someone else. He was just the clumsy super hero she ran into. Because of him, her hard work had gone for naught. If anything, he had expected her to throw the box at him, storm off and then he would have to fight her off after she had been akumatized, but she was handling this with such grace it was quite startling.

"Here. You can have them. I'm sorry they won't be pretty but they should taste fine."

Chat numbly took the box as she handed it over to him. He blinked once again, still trying to comprehend what was going on here, because things were moving faster than his mind could keep up with. But Marinette was all smiles and grace once he accepted the crumbled pastries. With that, Marinette slowly began to walk away.

"Wait, if you're going to leave me with these you may as well as eat them with me." Chat said.

Marinette turned to look at him, confused but oddly okay with his suggestion. He picked her up, much to her protest, and climbed to the top of a roof. Together they sat. They chatted while eating broken cookies. More so to himself and rather quietly, Chat contemplated why both Marinette and Ladybug smelled like marzipan.


	14. Kitten Me

"You have cat to be kitten me right now!" Chat complained as he dodged yet another flying fireball.

He could almost feel the exasperated look his partner gave him, boring into his back and burning a hole in him. The situation had been tense. Both of them had been pushed to their limits and their transformations were going to be breaking soon, especially if they did not finish this quickly. Half of Paris would be scorched to the ground if they couldn't stop PyroMania soon. The Firestarter had been caught by the police for letting of fireworks in the park and had taken it quite poorly. Akumatization poorly.

And he had just shaken his body guard. He was going to meet up with some friends, hang out in the park. So much for those plans. He was going to be lucky if he got five minutes after this fight to just be Adrien. Gorilla was going to catch up eventually. He always did and it gave him the sinking feeling that his body guard pinged his phone. Thankfully Plagg's magic masked the phone's reception when he was Chat Noir otherwise the chat would be out of the bag.

"Chat, focus!"

"Kind of hard when I'm trying to claw my way out of this," Chat said.

Ladybug shook her head. She ran up behind her partner, grabbing his staff off its holster on his back. She used his shoulder as a spring board, leaping high over the blonde hero before smashing the staff into the newest Akuma victim's face. Chat smirked to himself. He had seen the slight smirk on her face, even though she was trying hard to deny it. She thought he was funny. She just didn't have the patience or the will to say it herself. That was good enough for him for now. He would get her to laugh someday.


	15. Red

Chat loved Ladybug. He really did. But he worried about her. Her costume was a beacon in the midst of battle. The red obviously stood out. In fact, on patrol, in the dark of the night, he could see red and instantly know it was her. He didn't have to question it. He didn't have to wonder who could possibly be out so late at night. That could also be attributed to the fact they were the only two super heroes in Paris but the red was a glaring factor.

Red…

Red roses, red hearts, red lips… All of them were symbols of love, passion, determination and bravery. Those were all traits that he naturally assigned to the beautiful girl who had taken his heart in a whirlwind of witty banter and a few yo-yo strikes to the head. She was like fire that he could not bring himself to look away from, and very much like the moth, he would happily burn for her. If she only asked him to, he would die. A few times, she did not have to ask to jump in to protect her. It was a natural reflex at this point. He would sacrifice himself if it meant her safety.

But black… Black was associated with bad luck and death. He knew he was a jinx. There were a few times he always wondered if Ladybug would be better off without him. He messed things up. Their plans fell through if he had a clumsy fit or if he accidentally gave away their position. Despite her reassurances that she did need him, Chat felt like he did not do enough for her, so he worked even harder, fighting past his breaking point, even when his body protested and he thought he could do no more, he fought on.

For her.

"Chat, what are you doing?"

"Oh my little love bug, I missed you," Chat said dreamily.

Red. The color of her blush.


	16. Lips

Her lips.

Chat found himself focusing on them a little more than was probably healthy. When he was the slightest bit distracted it was because he was watching her. At this point he knew he was completely mesmerized by her and there was no going back. Even in the gloom of the inky darkness and dim lit lights of Paris nights, he could see the two red petals open and close. They moved as she spoke or pursed when she was mad at him, or spread when she smiled. Focusing on her lips made Chat wonder just how soft they were. She said they had kissed once. What was wrong with stealing another?

Aside from well, everything he stood for.

He could never force his affections on Ladybug, not even if he tried. No matter how much he adored Ladybug, no matter how much he all but needed her to keep breathing, he could never do anything to hurt her, not intentionally anyways. If she told him to get lost and that she never wanted to see him again, even if it would kill him, he would do it.

"Chat, are you listening?"

Her mouth was moving again. Her brow furrowed beneath the mask. If he wasn't mistaken, she was worried. Her concern was touching. It wasn't often he had someone concerned about him. He may as well as have been invisible as Adrien. Neglectful father, busy assistant ruling his life, teachers who just saw him as one more student, girls who lusted over an image of him and not the real him. It was hard to be Adrien. Being Chat was so much more liberating. He could be who he really wanted to be without worry or reservations.

"Hmm?"

"I said we should probably wrap up for the night," Ladybug said, mildly concerned since Chat always listened to her but now he seemed distracted.

"As you wish my little lovebug."

Ladybug frowned. Chat's recovery made her worries disappear. If he could joke and call her little pet names then he was fine. He was probably just tired, that's all.


	17. Words

Adrien had tried everything at this point. He tried to describe the way he loved her in letters, poems, stories, and songs. It was next to impossible to put his feelings for ladybug to pen and paper. At this point, he had to invest in a paper shredder to destroy the reject projects. He would start, read over what he had put down to ink and feel it was not good enough for her. He tried so hard to impress her already only to fall flat on his face each and every time. It was a bit disheartening.

"Give it a rest," Plagg whined. "You've been at this for hours. If you were going to write something good, you would have already."

Adrien shot the kwami a venomous look. Things would go smoother for him if he didn't have constant interruptions. The small creature ignored the dark look he was receiving, mostly because he was already preoccupied with a block of Bree Adrien had smuggled out of the kitchens for him, which, Plagg then complained because Bree was no camembert. Leave it to Adrien to get the food snob of kwamis. He wondered if Ladybug had these problems with her kwami, if she even had a kwami. For all he knew, she just had natural talent and magic on her side. However, Adrien was not about to get into an argument over cheese logistics with Plagg. It would only distract him from his goal.

"Have you ever written to anyone before?"

"Why would I?" Plagg asked, "I don't need anyone. Not when I have cheese!"

Another gleeful bite was taken from the 'not-as-good' cheese followed by a groan of exasperation by one teen model.


	18. Dandelions

Ladybug was a sight to see around her fans. She gave each person as much time as she possibly could. More often than not, Chat had to insistently remind her that they had to go. He hated breaking her away from the fans, but she was the one who set the rules regarding their identities. Her transformations would run so close to giving out, revealing her for who she really was. His heart would race along with her beeping Miraculous. So many times they came close to finding out who she was because she tried to meet with each adoring fan.

Really, her dedication to her fans was just another thing to find endearing about her. Every autograph, every smile, every hug and handshake meant something to their adoring public. It meant something to Chat as well. Ladybug really was something else – something special. She took his breath away almost every single time. She would come out with something new each time he thought he could learn nothing more about her. Not telling her how he felt was killing him with a torturous agony.

"U-Um C-Chat Noir?"

Chat turned around, half expecting a certain shy classmate of his with the way the stammer had come out. Instead, he was greeted by a young girl, probably no older than five or six. She was smaller and even shyer than his classmate. She was hiding her face in a bouquet of flowers. His eyes widened in delight when he caught sight of her shirt, something he hadn't seen in stores so he imagined someone made it for her. But the shirt was a bright vivid green with a tiny black paw prints dotting it. The shirt warmed Chat's heart.

"Yes, miss?" Chat asked.

He flourished his words with a grand bow, making the young girl giggle into her flowers. It made her seem a little less afraid about approaching the leather clad super hero. He was glad for that. HE didn't want anyone to be afraid of coming up to him. He had so few fans compared to the wonderful Ladybug, and rightfully so because he adored her as well, but he didn't want to scare what few fans he had.

"I picked these for you!" the tiny girl uttered in a rush.

She thrust the flowers into his hands. Chat laughed and did his best to keep all of the flowers gathered in a bunch. He looked down at them. They were really dandelions. They were better known as weeds. A young kid like her couldn't get flowers from a flower shop. Besides, she was better of spending her allowance on candy and toys. However, with the way Chat reacted, these flowers may as well have been the rarest exotic flowers and the finest money could buy. He held them close to his chest, as if they were a treasure he had to protect.

"Thank you, miss," he said sincerely. "They're wonderful."

His bright smile was returned with equal fervor by his young fan. For a moment, the two of them sat beaming at each other. Chat sat down in the dirt so he could be a little more level with her. His knees were starting to hurt from crouching for so long. The little girl followed suit, happily ignoring the fact she was wearing a light colored dress, but she still managed to sit rather lady-like, perhaps because she did not want to be scolded by her mother nearby.

"Dandelions are special," the girl explained, "Mama said that if you rub it against your skin and it leaves a mark, you're in love."

"Is that so? Do you think I should try it?" Chat asked.

He already knew the answer to that. Of course he was in love. He was reminded of it every time he looked at Ladybug. But with the wide eyed child watching him and nodding as if things had become serious, he was obligated to perform for her. So Chat stripped off his glove and took one lone dandelion in hand. The little girl all but held her breath as he rubbed it to his skin. Just as he expected, a streak of yellow smeared across his pale skin. He wasn't too surprised by this.

"So you are in love!" the girl whispered in a hushed voice.

Chat chuckled. The five year old was apparently easily amused. She looked so awestricken, like she didn't think Chat Noir could have fallen in love or that he was so much of a super hero that he could not fall in love. He wanted to tell her the mask was a part time thing, but he also didn't want to burst her bubble about Chat Noir being some super impressive being that was all but untouchable by the problems of usual people. He decided to continue to humor her.

"Of course," he said. "But that's our little secret."

He could not have a little girl telling Ladybug how he felt after all. It was something he had to do for himself. He wanted to wait for just the right moment before telling her. It had to be purrfect. Little did Chat Noir know, but Ladybug had been watching him interact with their fans as well. While she could not hear the conversation he was having with the young girl who had gifted him with flowers, their interaction was sweet enough to leave a tender smile on Ladybug's face. After the duo left the park, Ladybug didn't say a word about the flowers, even though it did make it harder for Chat to jump around the rooftops of Paris.


	19. O Lady

It was late. Marinette was tired. No creature on earth should be up at these dreadful hours of the night. Especially since she had just finished patrol with Chat Noir. Yet she woke to a soft ping at her balcony window. Rubbing sleep out of her eyes, she miserably got out of bed, threw on a robe. After fumbling to get her slippers on, she made her way to the window. She threw it open, prepared to shout at whoever thought it was a good idea to wake her up on a school night no less.

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?"

Marinette blinked all but freezing in her spot, as if ice had been thrown over her. This had to be a dream. There was no way this was real. She pinched herself to make sure and when she winced from the slight pain the action caused her, she realized this wasn't a dream. Chat Noir stood beneath her balcony, quoting Shakespeare. Not just any Shakespeare though, he was quoting Romeo and Juliet. That stupid, arrogant, prideful cat!

"It is my lady, O, it is my love!"

Marinette jolted when he said my lady. Had he figured her out? Had he finally seen through her mask? She quickly wrapped her arms around herself. However, he was too busy and far too caught up in his monologue to notice her distress. This was horrifically embarrassing. What if someone saw? Worse yet, what if someone posted this on the Ladyblog? Or if someone put two and two together that she was Ladybug? Or they assumed Marinette was seeing Chat? Then Adrien would never like her! Marinette would never live it down.

"Chat!" she hissed, "Be quiet!"

"She speaks. O, speak again, bright angel, for thou art as glorious to this night, being o'er my head, as is a winged messenger of heaven!" Chat continued on.

Marinette flushed. He was getting louder. Mercy help her, he was getting louder! The whole neighborhood was going to hear him at this point! Heaven help them both if he woke her parents! And if the media got a hold of this, she would never be able to leave her house again if all of Paris knew Chat Noir was reciting Shakespeare to her! Never mind the fact he just skipped an entire section in the monologue so that the conversation was tailored to their 'balcony experience'. He was unbearable.

"Shut up!" She snapped.

Marinette would later say he left her no choice. She would say it was for the both of them. She found the first thing her hands could reach and she threw it at him. He winced when an empty soda can struck his shoulder. It clanked to the ground and for a moment, silence fell upon the street. Inwardly the young woman was panicking. Could her night not get any worse? But then he smiled. It was a smile that warranted nothing good for the young super heroine in disguise as a normal teenage girl. She felt like hiding from Chat at that point, but he would probably let himself in.

"Princess, what an arm you have," he mocked.

His staff extended and he was raised up and onto the balcony with her. Marinette rolled her eyes. Okay, so he didn't let himself in, but he was certainly not going to let her go to bed any time soon. He sat down on her balcony edge. If she felt inclined to do so, she could have pushed him over the edge, but that would have been mean. He was frustrating but she didn't want to see him get hurt, even if it meant she was going to be beyond tired for school the next day. Maybe she could fake sick again? No, too many sick days and her parents would suspect something. Not going to let that happen. She would just have to suffer through it.

"Chat, what were you thinking?" she hissed.

"I'm afraid, Princess, that around you, I do not think," Chat teased.

"That's an understatement."

"I thought I did quite well."


	20. So Close, Yet So Far

**Don't usually make a habit of author's notes unless I can avoid them, but I have changed the name of the story from Night Vision to Chat Tails, mostly because the story has gotten away from Chat's eyes and what he sees.**

* * *

The masks they wore. They were both liberating and binding at the same time. The mask gave Adrien the freedom to be who he always truly was – Chat Noir. He was an awful flirt, brave, loyal and true with a terrible sense of humor particularly around puns. However, the masks also concealed the one thing he truly wanted to know. The one thing that Adrien wanted to know more than anything else in this world was the identity of the mystery girl. He wanted to know Ladybug. Befriend her. Get to know her. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with her. After what happened with his mother, he knew time he had with the precious people around him was limited.

Would she even like him outside of the mask? They had an unspoken trust with one another when in uniform. What if something happened to her while they were on duty? How would he tell her family their daughter wasn't coming home? Did she have a family to tell? It would have been sad if she was as lonely as he was. Sure, he had his father, Natalie and Gorilla, but they were more absentee guardians than real family. He didn't want to think of someone as wonderful as Ladybug being alone when she went home at the end of the day.

His friends were his lifeline. Nino made sure he cut back, relaxed and acted like a normal teen for once. Alya was the organizer. She made sure to get everyone together, encouraging them all to try new things and spend as much time together. Then there was Marinette. She was sweet, shy at times but her levelheaded calm (when she wasn't tripping over herself) was endearing. Not to mention her willingness to help others. It was no wonder Nino had a crush on her for a little bit. Nathanael had a crush on her too for Pete's sake.

Taking a deep breath, Adrien snuck into the school. After the last Akuma attack, the students were encouraged to go back to their usual schedules, but could stay home if they wished. Adrien always went back. He had fought tooth and nail to go to school. He wasn't going to miss it for a second. However, as he rounded the corner to head into the classroom, someone bumped into him. He quickly reached out, catching the person before they fell backwards. He peered down, spotting two familiar twin tails. At first his mind reached to Ladybug but then he saw the tentative stare looking back up at him.

"Oh, pardon me, Marinette," he said.

"I-I, yeah," she squeaked. "Sorry! Got to go! Bye!"

He couldn't help the fond smile that crossed his lips as she all but scurried away from him, a heated blush crossing her cheeks. If only he could get Ladybug to blush like that.


	21. Neko Atsume

Neko Atsume. It was all anyone would talk about when Adrien was at school. At first, he didn't see the appeal. It was just an app. It was a virtual game with a bunch of virtual cats. Half of the people playing the game probably weren't even taking care of their real pets at home. Dogs that could have used an extra walk were neglected. They had cats that would have been over the moon with a longer belly rub. Fish that probably needed their tanks cleaned. No. He wouldn't trust his classmates with real pets, but it seemed virtual pets were just fine as long as they weren't the tomagachi variety. It wasn't until he heard Marinette and Alya giggling over a cat that visited Marinette.

"You named him Chat Noir?" Alya laughed.

"Stop it. He's my baby!" Marinette whined.

The young women were painfully unaware that Adrien was now listening in a little more intently. Marinette named one of the cats after him? That was sweet of her. She never really struck him as a fan of Chat Noir. The one time he was helping her for Ladybug, she seemed kind of annoyed with him. What he had with Marinette when he was Chat Noir was competitive. They strove to outdo one another, prove they were the better opponent and strategist. It was fun. Chat liked spending time with Marinette and she seemed to share the sentiment.

"The game is totally going to be bogged down with a million black cats named Chat Noir, you know," Alya pointed out.

"Yeah but… it's different!" Marinette protested.

"How so?"

 _Yes, how so?_ He wanted to prompt. What made it different that Marinette had named the little black cat after him? It definitely improved Adrien's mood to know she at least thought of his super hero alter ego. He just wanted to know what she thought of him as Chat. It oddly meant a lot to him to have her opinion. So he sat still, with waited breath, hoping that Nino wouldn't come in and ruin the moment or point out that he was eavesdropping on the girls. It would be so embarrassing if they figured that out.

"Well, I've met Chat."

"Mari, do you _like_ Chat?"

Marinette was nearly tomato red. Adrien could almost imagine the heat her skin was giving off as she flushed with embarrassment. She was particularly good at blushing, often becoming too shy to even talk to him, which was disappointing because she was really interesting. He wanted to get to know her better, but when she would either pass out upon seeing him or flee like he had the plague it made it difficult. He blamed most of it on Plagg. It had to be the smell of the cheese that he had to carry around for the little beast. The smell might have scared her away because he was just some dumb smelly boy.

"N-No! It's not like that! He saved me…" Marinette said, loudly at first but growing softer, "I think he's really great but I can't exactly say it to him. It'll go to his head."

Ouch. Marinette was much like his Lady was. They both knew how to cut him to the core with a single comment.


End file.
